Lemon Caper Chicken

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning
4 thinly sliced boneless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon capers
8 thin lemon slices

1. Combine flour and lemon-pepper seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken breasts and shake off access.

2. In a large frying pan, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm.

3. Add garlic to pan and cook for about a minute. Add broth and wine. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan; add capers and four chicken slices. Cover and simmer for 6 - 8 minutes, until liquid begins to thicken and flavors are blended.

4. Arrange chicken on platter. Pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with remaining lemon slices and chopped parsley.

Easy Crusted Cod

This easy recipe is great for a busy weeknight. I like serving this over sauteed spinach cooked with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and a dash of chicken stock.

2 pieces of Cod (5 - 6 oz. each)
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
zest of half a lemon
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon chicken stock
2 Tablespoons white wine
salt
pepper
olive oil

1. Chop parsley, garlic, lemon zest and salt together until almost a paste. In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs and parsley mixture until well mixed.

2. Brush tops of cod with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Dip oiled cod into breadcrumb mixture, patting crumbs down. Heat about two tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil in saucepan. Place cod crumb face down and cook for about three minutes.

3. Place in lightly oiled pan, crumb side up, and bake in 400 degree preheated oven for 8 - 10 minutes.

4. When fish is cooked, remove pan from oven, add 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of white white. Return pan to oven for 2 minutes.

5. Plate fish over cooked spinach or vegetables of choice and spoon white wine sauce over fish.

Bread From the Fridge

That's right ... bread dough that stays in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. How cool is that? This is not my creation but something that came out of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. When I first read this, I thought it could not possibly work but it does and I have baked bread like this many times.

Here is the basic recipe that I've used:

The Master Recipe: Boule

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tablespoons granulate yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel

1. Warm the water slightly: it should feel just a little warmer than body temperature, about 100 degrees F.

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl, or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded (not airtight) plastic food container. Don't worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour with a wooden spoon. You don't have to knead. Add all of the flour at once and mix until there are no dry patches. Dough should be wet and loose (see picture above).

4. Allow to rise: Cover with a lid which is not airtight and which fits well to the container you're using. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature for about 2 hours. You can use the dough at this stage but it is easier to handle if it is refrigerated overnight.

On Baking day:

5. First, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal (or whatever your recipe calls for) to prevent your loaf from sticking when you slide it into the oven.

6. Sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit size) piece of dough. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little bit more flour as needed so it won't stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the dough as you go. The entire process should take no more than 30 to 60 seconds.

7. Rest the loaf and let it rise on a pizza peel. Allow the loaf to rest on the peel for about

40 minutes. Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rise during this period more rising will occur during baking.

8. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on any other shelf that won't be interfere with the rising bread. I placed my pan on the bottom rack.

9. Dust and slash: Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1/4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top, using a serrated knife (see photo below).


10. Baking with steam: After a 20-minute preheat, you are ready to bake. With a quick forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the preheated baking stone. Quickly pour about 1 cup hot water from the tap into the broiler pan and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch.



11. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing.

12. Store the remaining dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next 14 days.

Olive Oil Dough

2 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Mix the yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

2. Mix in the flour without kneading, using a wooden spoon to make sure that all the flour is incorporated and there are no dry patches.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used immediately or refrigerated in a lidded (not airtight) container and used over the next 12 days.

Vegetarian Pizza

1. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven with a baking stone at 450 degrees. There is no need for the broiler pan because steam is not needed for this dough.

2. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut of a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece or as much as is needed. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides.

3. Flatten the dough with your hands and a rolling pin on a wooden board to produce a 1/8-inch-thick round. You can use a combination of stretching with your hand and rolling with a rolling pin.

4. Place the rolled out dough onto a pizza peel that has been dusted with cornmeal.

5. Place toppings of your choice. I used fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, thinly sliced red onion on my dough. I drizzled olive oil over the topping and slid the pizza onto the hot stone quickly ... be careful not to let cornmeal from the peel spill into the oven. I used a wooden spoon to help the pizza slide.

6. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the dough is the brown you like. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly to allow the cheese to set.

Note: The recipes for both doughs can be halved or doubled. For the pizza I only made half of the dough and then used only half of it for a personal pizza (so actually only a 1/4 of the above recipe).

Butter Cookies

These crisp tender cookies are great for decorating. Usually I would use a sugar cookie dough for this but decided to try something different for these Halloween cookies.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoon orange juice
1 Tablespoon vanilla

1. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add egg and orange juice and mix well. Add vanilla to the mixture and beat well.

2. Fold in flour and baking powder until well incorporated.

3. Flatten dough and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

4. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Roll out dough on a well-floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into shapes. Place an inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. I use a baking stone so I never have to worry about greasing.

6. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Remove immediately and let cool on wire rack.

7. Decorate cookies when they are completely cool.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

I was going to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for the Halloween party at work but Sarah found this recipe and wanted to try it, so that is how we ended up making this. I am not a big fan of snickerdoodles because I do not like a lot of cinnamon in things. I blame this aversion to cinnamon on my mother! She did not like cinnamon and didn't bake or cook with it, and hence it was not a spice we were exposed to, and had not formed a liking for it. Anyway, to make a long story short ... I like these cookies because they do not taste overwhelmingly of cinnamon. They are at their very best warm.

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the coating:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of allspice

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, whisk together to blend. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars with an electric mixer at medium speed, until well mixed. Add in the pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract and mix well. Fold in with a wooden spoon, the flour until just combined. Do not overmix.

3. Cover dough and refrigerate for one hour until firm.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or use a baking stone.

6. In a small bowl mix together the ingredients for the coating. Use a tablespoon to scoop out dough, form into a ball, and roll in the coating mixture. Place on baking tray, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie.

7. Take a drinking glass with a flat bottom and moisten with water, then dip in the coating mixture, and flatten the cookie balls. Resugar the glass as needed.

8. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes until the centers are set. Let cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes. It is important to do this to allow the cookies to "set" because they are very soft. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes 44 cookies.

Brown Sugar Ginger Chicken

The original recipe called for rock sugar but because I didn't know what the heck that was or where to get it, I substituted dark brown sugar. I thought the molasses in the dark brown sugar would give the soy sauce a nice depth. Sarah was not too keen on this recipe but I loved it! It reminded me of the simplicity of my mother's cooking ... so I am keeping this recipe.

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 Tablespoons black or dark soy sauce

2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced, peeled, fresh ginger

2 lb bone-in chicken thighs, cut into three pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In a small saucepan, heat chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar and 1/2 cup water just to boiling. reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered until sugar dissolves, about five minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside.

2. In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add ginger and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute, stirring often.

3. Reduce heat to medium. With wooden spoon push ginger to side of skillet. Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook 5 minutes until chicken is browned. With tongs, turn chicken thighs over and cook about 5 minutes longer or until browned but not cooked through. Drain excess fat from the skillet and stir ginger around chicken thighs; sprinkle with salt.

4. Quickly pour chicken broth mixture town side of skillet and immediately cover skillet. Cook, covered, 5 minutes. Turn chicken thighs over and cook, covered for another 5 minutes longer or until juices run clear when the thickest part of chicken is pierced with tip of knife. Remove cover and boil 1 minute to thicken sauce slightly.

Merlot-braised Stuffed Chicken Thighs

This is a tasty recipe. Just make sure you do as much of the food preparation the night before.

4 oz. ground sweet Italian sausage
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large shallot, minced
1 large egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
5 large skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 2 lb)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped pancetta or bacon
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
600 ml Merlot/Chianti/any dry red wine
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 can diced Italian style tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 can tomato puree (6-8 oz)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried basil

1. Mix first 9 ingredients in a medium bowl. Divide into 5 portions. Place once chicken thigh on a work surface. Fill with one portion of the sausage mixture. Wrap chicken thigh around filling and tie with kitchen string. Repeat with remaining chicken things. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta/bacon; saute until pancetta is light brown and fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

3. Add chicken to drippings in pan; cook until golden on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate.

4. Add onions and garlic to pan; saute until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir constantly so garlic won't burn.

5. Return pancetta to pan. Add wine and boil until mixture is reduced, about 12 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, bay leaf, basil, and chicken thighs, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes.

6. Serve over hot cooked noodles or mashed potatoes.

Note: I served the chicken over hot mashed potatoes with cooked peas -- made a well in the mashed potatoes, spooned peas into it and place one chicken thigh & sauce over the peas and mashed potatoes. There was enough sauce left over to be used as the sauce base for a lasagna the next day -- very yummy.

Squash Casserole

My student worker, Chris, brought in some summer squash, and since we were having company, I decided to do something different with it. And I spotted the perfect recipe from the July issue of Southern Living. The casserole is much prettier than the picture ... yes, yes, I forgot to take a picture of the casserole when it came out of the oven in its pretty glass dish.

3 lb yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (I used Vidalia)
1 1/2 salt, divided
1 cup grated carrots
1 (10 3/4-oz) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
1 (8-oz) container light sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives (I used flat leaf parsley)
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup crushed French fried onions
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cut squash into 1/4-inch thick slices; place in a Dutch oven. Add onion, 1 tsp. salt, and enough water to just cover squash. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook 5 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

3. Stir together grated carrots, cream of chicken soup, sour cream and chopped chives, and remaining salt in a large bowl. Fold in squash mixture. Spoon into a lightly greased 2-qt oval baking dish.

4. In a small bowl stir together cornflakes, French fried onions, pepper and melted butter. Sprinkle over squash mixture.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Cover with foil after 20 -25 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

4th July Burgers

1 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, grated
2 Tbsp. Ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped flatleaf parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. In a medium bowl mix all ingredients together with a fork. Be sure to mix everything lightly ... do not mash down or compact the ground beef.

2. Using your hands, form the beef mixture into four (4 oz.) patties, making sure not to pack the mixture too well. I make sure to make an indentation in the center of the burgers so that they cook better since they usually puff up in the center.

3. Wrap the burgers and let them sit in the fridge for at least two hours to let the flavors meld together. An hour before cooking the burgers, take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature on the countertop.

4. Grill the burgers to whatever temperature suits you. I like my meat with no pink! Serve with white American cheese, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, onion, ketchup and mustard.

Company Omelet

The Barefoot Contessa calls this an omelet for two ... don't know how much she eats but I made this recipe for company and it could feed eight of us! Well, it could feed four if this is the only thing you are serving but I also had a lemon coffeecake, so most people only had one wedge of the omelet. The picture below is of the recipe that I halved which serves four.

4 rashers of thick cut bacon, cut into pieces
3 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion
6 medium sized eggs
2 Tbsp. cream or milk
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In an ovenproof saucepan, saute bacon bits until brown and crisp, stirring often. Remove bacon from saucepan and drain on paper towel. Drain most of bacon grease from saucepan. Add butter and swirl around.

3. Add potato to saucepan and stir to coat with hot butter & grease. Add onion and stir well. Put a lid on potato and onion mixture to help them cook quickly. Stir mixture from time to time until potato is cooked through when pierced with a fork. Add the bacon pieces to the mixture.

4. Beat the eggs with the milk, add the parsley, cheese, salt and pepper, and pour over the potato mixture in the pan. Place saucepan in the oven and cook for 10 - 15 minutes until the center is almost set and omelet is puffy.

5. Cut into four to eight wedges and serve hot.

Note: My recipe is a little different from the Barefoot Contessa's because I made adjustments as usual.

Cheesecakes ... Plain and Fancy

Cheesecake was not something we had as children because the ingredients were not readily available. Our butter and cheese came in cans from Australia and milk was reconstituted from dried milk powder for most of our childhood.

It wasn't till the 1980s that cheesecakes appeared as desserts in hotel restaurants and select bakeries and we began to appreciate them. And then I came to the US and having cream cheese everywhere, I started making cheesecakes of every kind. Below are two of our favorites ... one plain and the other a little fancier with chocolate chip cookie dough. Sarah is the one who first started making the chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake ... it was the first cheesecake she ever made and it holds fond memories for all of us.

Northwest Cheesecake Supreme

4 (8-oz) pkgs. Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla

Shortbread Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, separated, yolk lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened

1. To make crust:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, place flour and sugar and mix well. Make a depression in the center of the mixture, and add egg and softened butter. With a fork, blend everything together until dough holds together.

3. In a 9-inch springform pan, place about 1/3 of the dough (put the rest of the dough in the fridge) and press into bottom of the pan with your hands. Prick the crust with a fork. Bake in oven for 10 - 15 minutes, checking frequently to make sure that crust is a light brown. Remove from oven to cool before proceeding to step 4.

4. Once bottom crust has cooled. Remove remainder of dough from fridge and press into sides of springform pan, making sure to seal the edges of the bottom crust. When all the sides have been done, brush the whole crust (bottom and sides) with egg white to prevent it from getting soggy.

To make cheesecake:
1. Combine cream cheese, sugar and flour, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended.

2. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in sour cream and vanilla. Pour into crust.

3. Place springform pan on cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees and continue baking for 1 hour.

4. Place springform pan to cool on wire rack. When cheesecake is cooled completely, loosen sides from rim of pan and remove rim carefully.

5. Chill in fridge for 4 - 6 hours before serving. Serve with cherry pie filling and whipped cream, or decorate with whipped cream and a chocolate flake.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

1 3/4 cups crushed chocolate chip cookies or chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:
3 (8-0z) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cookie Dough:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips, divided

To make crust:
1. In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

To make cheesecake:
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, beat on low until just combined. Add sour cream and vanilla and blend with a wooden spoon. Pour into crust. Set aside.

To make cookie dough:
1. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add water and vanilla. Gradually add the flour. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips.

2.Drop dough by small teaspoonfuls all over cheesecake filling, pushing dough gently under surface, making sure that all dough is covered.

3. Place springform pan on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until center is almost set (it should still be a little jiggly). Sprinkle 1/2 cup of chocolate chips over top of cheesecake.

4. Cool pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour before placing in refrigerator overnight.

5. Remove sides of pan before serving. To serve: drizzle chocolate sauce over bottom of plate, place a slice of cheesecake on top, pipe whipped cream on cheesecake and enjoy!

Bread ... Bread

There was always something baking in my mother's and grandmother's kitchen. As children we enjoyed biscuits (cookies), cakes, puddings, but surprisingly, not loaves of bread. Instead we bought our weekly supply of bread from the local convent. Late afternoon a convent girl would deliver huge loaves of warm bread. We lived close to the convent so we always got our loaves first when the convent girl would come on her bicycle. We would cut huge slices of bread, slather them with butter and sprinkled with sugar ... ah, the memory can still bring a smile to my face.

St. Anthony's Convent

When I started a family of my own, I also started baking bread -- rolls, muffins, loaves. Sarah has enjoyed all kinds of homemade bread. There is nothing to beat the smell of baking wafting through the house and the taste of warm bread dripping with melted butter.

One of Sarah's favorites has always been the sweet cinnamon-raisin swirl bread below. It is so good warm from the oven or toasted a couple of days later.

Raisin Swirl Bread

6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 cup raisins

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt and yeast.

2. In a 2-quart saucepan over low heat, heat milk, water and 1/4 cup butter until mixture is very warm but you can still hold your finger in it. Butter does not need to melt completely.

3. With mixer at low speed, gradually pour liquid into dry ingredients; beat until just mixed. At medium speed, beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in eggs and 1 1/2 cups flour or enough flour to make a thick batter; continuing beating 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

4. With spoon, stir in additional flour (about 3 cups) to make a soft dough.

5. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding more flour while kneading.

6. Shape dough into a ball and place in greased large bowl, turning dough over to grease top. Cover with towel or plastic wrap; let rise in warm place , until doubled in bulk.

7. Punch down by pushing center of dough with fist, then pushing edges of dough into center. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; cut in half. Cover; let rest 15 minutes.

8. Grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans. In small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll one dough half into 14 x 9 - inch rectangle. Brush with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with half the sugar mixture and half of the raisins. Starting at narrow end, roll tightly, jelly-roll fashion; pinch seam to seal. Press ends to seal and tuck under, Place seam side down in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover with towel or plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

9. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 30 - 45 minutes or until tops are golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped with finger. Remove from pans immediately; cool on wire racks. Drizzle with confectioners' sugar glaze.

Note: You can half this recipe to make only one loaf ... I have done it many times.

My sister, Priscilla, gave me this oatmeal bread recipe several years ago and I still like it. It's wonderful on its own but it also makes great sandwich bread. You don't have to knead this bread ... just beat it with a wooden spoon! This recipe can be halved, I often make just one loaf, but there is no reason not to make two loaves and then freeze the other loaf.

Oatmeal Bread

2 cups boiling milk
1 cup regular oats (not instant)
2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup honey
4 Tbsp. shortening
5 - 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 packets yeast
1/2 cup warm water

1. Add oatmeal to hot milk and let stand for 2 hours.

2. Dissolve yeast in warm water.

3. Place oatmeal mixture in large bowl. Add yeast, 5 cups of flour and the rest of the ingredients to the oatmeal mixture and beat with wooden spoon until well mixed. Add the other 1/2 cup of flour and mix well.

4. Flour hands and form dough into two balls. Place into greased loaf pans, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm place until doubled in size.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 - 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove loaves from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

6. Serve warm with honey butter. Loaves freeze well.

Crockpot Apple Butter

Sometimes you find a place that speaks to you and wraps itself around your heart ... Vermont is such a place to us. Fifteen years ago we came for a visit in the middle of summer when the land and the mountains were covered with a lush green that soothed the eye and the soul. The wild flowers were in bloom in colors that only nature could perfect and the air was clean and clear and it was easy to believe that this was indeed God's country.


Who knew that those mountains would hold me in their grasp? There I was -- a child of a tropical island -- of hot sand and cool breezes, mesmerized by this land that spoke to something in me. Was it the memories of my Scottish ancestors within me that recognized this place or was it the memories of my English ancestors from the gently rolling hills of Devon?

It was a call too loud to ignore and we have bought a condo in Newport Center and land in Derby where we hope to someday build our home. And on that land are apple trees as nature intended them to be, producing apples that are small and not very pretty but are nonetheless edible and pesticide free. They screamed to be made into apple butter.

There are two kinds of apples on the Derby land ... one that is red and sweet and the other yellow with a slightly tart bite to it. That is the one that I thought would make the better apple butter.

3 lb. apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup fresh apple cider
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. all spice
1/2 tsp. cloves
Dash of salt

1. Fill a crockpot with the apples. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Cover and cook on low setting overnight or until apple butter is thick and speadable.

2. If apple butter has too much liquid, remove lid and cook until it is of the desired consistency.

3. To can: sterilize jars, fill to 3/4 full, put lids on and place jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water and place on racks to cool ... you will hear a pinging sound as the jars seal themselves.

4. Yields 7 1/2 pint jars of apple butter.

Meatballs and Spaghetti

When I am in the mood to make my own meatballs, this is the recipe that I use. It is a Tyler Florence recipe but I do not make the meatballs as big as he does!

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 Tbsp. roughly chopped parsley
1 cup milk
4 thick slices firm white bread, crust removed
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 1/2 lb ground pork or turkey or veal
1 large egg
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and parsley and cook until the vegetables are soft but still translucent, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool.

2. Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten and let it soak while the onions are cooling.

3. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and Parmigiano-Reggiano and season generous with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add that to the meat mixture along with the cooled onion mixture. Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands or with a spoon until just mixed together. Do not over mix or the meatballs will be tough. Divide them into 10 equal pieces and shape them into balls. You can make them smaller and get more meatballs.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 10 minutes or less if the meatballs are smaller. Place meatballs in a baking dish. Spoon over half of whatever tomato sauce you will be serving and bake for about 15 minutes.

6. While meatballs are baking, cook your spaghetti and heat up your tomato sauce and enjoy!



Note: If you want to freeze some of the meatballs, just cook them all the way through in the pan, cool and freeze for later use.

Seafood and Mushroom Crepes

When this dish appears, it means that Lent is here. I made up this recipe years ago when John described a dish he had at a restaurant called the Sea Watch in Florida, and it has remained one of our favorite dishes.

Crepes:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted & cooled
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose salt
1/2 tsp. salt

1. About 3 hours before serving or overnight: In a bowl whisk melted butter, eggs and milk. Add flour and salt and whisk until smooth. Cover; refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2. Brush 7-inch crepe pan and 10-inch skillet with butter and heat over medium heat. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into crepe pan and spread as thinly as possible. Cook until underside is lightly brown but edges are not crisp. Flip into skillet and cook for about 30 seconds and then remove to waxed paper covered plate.

3. Repeat until all batter is used up.

Seafood filling:
5 Tbsp. butter
3/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (2 % or whole)
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups medium raw shrimp peeled, de-veined and tails removed
1 cup small scallops
chopped parsley

1. In 3-quart sauce pan over medium heat, in butter, cook mushrooms until soft. Remove to a bowl.

2. In same pan add shrimp and cook until almost done before adding scallops and cooking for another 1 - 2 minutes. Remove seafood to a clean bowl and set aside.

3. Add 3 tablespoons butter to the pan and melt. With a whisk add flour and salt and cook until brown, stirring with whisk. In a bowl, mix broth, sherry and milk; stir into flour mixture in pan; cook until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted, remove pan from heat.

4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Reserve 1/2 cup of the sauce. Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish.

5. Add the cooked seafood to the cheese sauce and all but 1/4 cup of the cooked mushrooms.

6. Start assembling crepes -- spoon 1/3 cup filling onto a crepe; roll up and place in baking dish. Repeat until all crepes are done.

7. Sir 2 tablespoons milk and mushrooms into reserved sauce; spoon over crepes. Bake 20 minutes. Top with parsley and serve hot.

Note: I make my crepes smaller and can get about 10 crepes out of the batter.

Gluten Free Crepes

1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs

2 tbsp. butter, melted

1. Preheat a  6 - 7 skillet/crepe pan over medium heat.

2. Fix flour & salt.

3. Beat milk and eggs until well combined. Whisk milk mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Add melted butter and whisk until well combined.

4. Brush pan with butter. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour batter into pan, swirling to form an even circle around pan. Cook until underside is very lightly golden ... loosen edges and flip over. Cook for about 30 seconds. Slide onto a platter.

5. Repeat until all batter is used up.

 

Tilapia Piccata

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. powdered chicken buillon

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed & drained

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

4 Tilapia fillets (4 oz. each)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Cooking spray

2 tsp. light tub margarine/spread

1 medium lemon, quartered

1. In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon flour and the buillon. Gradually pour in the water, whisking until smooth, add wine and lemon juice. Stir in capers. Set aside.

2. On a plate, stir together 1/3 cup flour, salt & pepper.

3. Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Coat each fillet with the flour mixture, gently shaking off excess. Transfer to another plate. Repeat with remaining fish fillets.

4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook the fish for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Lightly spray the top of the fish fillets with the cooking spray. Turn fillets over and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Transfer the fish to a clean platter.

5. Pour buillon mixture into the skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often until thickened.

6. With the heat on low, stir in margarine until melted. Return the fish to the skillet. Spoon sauce over the fish and simmer for 1 - 2 minutes, till fish and sauce are heated through.

7. Serve with a lemon quarter.